If you haven’t experienced being ghosted, count yourself lucky. As horrible as it seems, there are quite a few reasons why your candidates may be ghosting you for the interview, or even the first day of work. Sometimes, it’s as simple as a lack of professionalism on behalf of your candidates. But if it’s happened more than once, and if you can’t seem to figure out what’s going wrong, there may be something that’s setting you hiring up for failure. Here are a few reasons why it might not be working out for you, and what you can do to change things up.
Why Candidates Ghost Employers
Frankly, there are several reasons why candidates just don’t have time to follow up with an employer. The highest likelihood is that they got a better offer from another company, and they don’t have the time or the need to let you know. There’s also a chance that your hiring process is too long. Maybe they didn’t hear from you for too long, so they had to move on. Maybe your communication was ineffective, sporadic, or even too nagging or frequent. You need to be respectful of a candidate’s time and effort, just as you expect them to be respectful of you.
The worst-case scenario is that the offer or the interview was misaligned with what they expected from you. Misaligned expectations are often a red flag for candidates, especially those who are fielding multiple offers. Take these issues into account if your candidates seem to disappear midstream in the application process. It’s possible your hiring process needs a refresher course to make sure you are delivering a competitive hiring experience because you can be sure that in a competitive hiring market, the companies who are willing to go the extra mile are the ones who will snag the best talent.
What you can do to avoid it
First, you should actively seek to understand candidates’ expectations. And communicate clearly and transparently with them throughout the process. One of the most common reasons a candidate will disappear in the middle of hiring conversations is around salary or benefit requirements. If a candidate learns that an employer will not meet those requirements, it is simply not worth their time to continue the conversation.
From a manager’s perspective, that can be an awkward conversation. Working with a recruiter can be a good buffer for that reason. A recruiter acts as a convenient middleman. They can walk the middle ground to keep a candidate interested while avoiding definitive conversations around salary and benefits. If a candidate is outside of your budget range, a recruiter will know. They will actively match you with better candidates who would be less likely to ghost on you.
Another good way to avoid candidates going dark on you is to screen for commitment. A job candidate who is only partially interested in what you have to offer is a red flag. You don’t want to waste your time with candidates who are only looking for the first job they can get. You want a candidate who is committed to your company and to the role. While the screening process can be complex, knowing the key indicators of commitment is critical. Looking for them early can help you weed out the candidates unlikely to follow through for you.
If you are struggling to find the right candidates for your roles, All-Star Personnel is one of the best staffing agencies in Madison, TN. Call us today.
